Pokemon VGC (Video Game Championships) is growing. Every year it seems like more and more people attend and watch events. Not to mention the thousands of players that faithfully play the game every year to begin with. I myself have been competitively playing Pokemon since about 2014. This year I had to step back due to life decisions. Between being a full term college student, a father of two, and a husband to an ever loving wife, I just had no time to dedicate to actually grinding out those long hours of gameplay that are required to compete in any game nowadays.
This does not mean that I did not keep up with the latest and greatest things in the scene though. I kept an eye on everything, from team compositions to the National standings in CP (Championship Points). I even took a look at international players that I knew I would be seeing on the main stage during World Championships this year.
Photo Courtesy of Joshua Lorcy’s Twitter Page
This brings me to the main point of why I am writing today. I bring to you a player that has created a lot of buzz for himself in the past year. Joshua Lorcy is the man who I am speaking of. Placing well in last years World Championships, he showed that he would be someone to watch out for in the coming years. I got a chance to ask the man a few questions in order for us to get to know him better. So let’s get in to the interview!
Maurice : So go ahead and introduce yourself to the readers!
Joshua : Hello! I’m Joshua Lorcy. Born and raised in Queens, NY. I am a professional Pokemon VGC Player. I am also a huge fan of basketball.
Maurice : What first got you in to Pokemon?
Joshua : My mother first introduced me to Pokemon at the age of 3. I’ve been hooked ever since! It has become a passion of mine.
Maurice : What is your favorite Pokemon?
Joshua : My favorite Pokemon is Electivire. In the animated series it was portrayed as a fierce, thick skinned Pokemon.
Maurice : How long have you been playing VGC competitively?
Joshua : I started playing VGC back in March of 2015. So overall I have been playing for a total of 2 years!
Maurice : What has been your favorite VGC format?
Joshua : My favorite format was the 2015 format. It was new to me so I didn’t quite grasp it. This made it challenging to me. I love challenges so that’s what made it fun!
Maurice : What is your favorite Pokemon in the current format?
Joshua : In the current format, my favorite Pokemon would have to be Tapu Fini. It has great bulk, the ability to set up with Calm Mind, and its terrain has a great ability in being able to deny status moves.
Maurice : What are some of your goals as a VGC player?
Joshua : As a VGC player, my ultimate goal is to become the Pokemon World Champion. This should be everyone’s goal, however, I believe I can achieve this if I continue to stay focused and play the best I can.
Maurice : Do you have any tips for anyone trying to become a VGC player?
Joshua : For those who are trying to pursue their dreams in VGC you should practice laddering on either showdown or battle spot and watch youtube videos by Cybertron, Wolfey and Ray Rizzo. These are the top 3 VGC content creators in my opinion. I can almost guarantee you will learn a lot from them.
Maurice : Do you have any shout outs to give?
Joshua : I would like to shout out my fans, family and friends who have supported me while playing VGC and that’s just about everyone.
As you can tell, Josh is an awesome guy with great potential to one day be Pokemon World Champion. You can see below that Joshua Lorcy is currently ranked #30 in the World based on CP (Championship Points) with 625. He is even 25 points ahead of last year’s World Champion Wolfe Glick, so that is definitely making a statement!
The Standings
It was definitely an honor for me to pick the brain of someone I consider to be one of the top contenders for World Champion this year. Make sure you guys check him out on his Twitter @lorcylovesyou to keep up with what he has going on. He also has a YouTube channel and streams on Twitch here and there as well. Go show him some support!
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Featured Image courtesy of The Pokemon Company